29 Dec How to get stuff done: Do you do the do?
Last time we talked about how it’s not about what you know, but about what you do. So how do you “do the do?” I suddenly got a craving for soda and I don’t know why…
When I think about what it takes to do something, there are three components: your mindset, your skill set, and your tool set.
Having the right mindset is essential for success. It’s not just about having a positive attitude, but also being willing to take risks and challenge yourself in order to reach your goals. With the right/healthy mindset, you believe that you have the ability to learn, grow and develop with effort and practice over time. People with this kind of outlook are more likely to persist in the face of difficulty and failure because they understand it’s all part of learning and improving. They also tend to be more open-minded, creative problem solvers who can adapt quickly when faced with new challenges or obstacles. Let’s say you believe an old dog can’t learn new tricks… how successful will you be? I’m reminded of a story from when I was in elementary school, but there was a song that went something like this, “I may be old and so I’m told, buuuuuut I can still do many things.” Who do you think has the right mindset?
Having the right skill set is also essential. It involves a combination of technical expertise, interpersonal skills, and problem-solving capabilities. Recently I started making sourdough bread because I’ve been wanting to since 2020. For anyone who has attempted to do this, you know how tricky it is in the beginning. The dough keeps sticking to your hands, the shape is weird, and it may look funny when it’s done. The problem? I haven’t developed the right technique. Now, there may not be interpersonal skills involved with bread baking (although some people do talk to their starter. I’m not that level of crazy… yet), but there are definitely problem-solving skills that develop through making mistakes.
Finally, having the right tool set plays a critical role in success too. I was trying to put together a bookshelf over the holidays. It’s one of those where you can use a screwdriver for most of it, but the back needs to be nailed in. I couldn’t find my hammer, so I was trying to hammer it in with my screwdriver. It took way longer than needed, but I eventually got it in. Unfortunately I put it on backwards. So not only did I take extra long to complete the job, I did it wrong! This actually isn’t even the worst case scenario. In some cases, if you don’t have the right tools, the job can’t be done at all.
So first off, what is this thing you want to do? Do you have the right mindset, skill set, and tool set to do it? If so, I’m so happy for you! If not, it’s ok, now is the time to reflect and pivot. As I showed above, not all three need to be good, but you’ll be hindered in a lot of ways if not. I would argue mindset, skill set, and tool set should be prioritized in that order. Meaning, if you have the right mindset, you can get past less than ideal skills or not having the right tools. However, if you have a bad mindset, doesn’t matter how good your skills or tools are, the results won’t be great. That’s also true between skill set and tool set. If you have good skills, you can make do with tools that maybe aren’t right for the job. I could hammer a tiny nail into the bookshelf because my skills were good enough. However, if you have the right tool but lack the skills, the tool can only do so much for you.
So how are things lining up for you? I’d love to hear from you!
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